London vs Exeter
London wins on purchasing power. London data scientists have £83/month more disposable income after rent than their Exeter counterparts.
After paying rent, a data scientist in London retains £83/month more than in Exeter — that's £996/year extra in purchasing power.
London vs Exeter: what the £83/month gap means for a data scientist
On paper, London data scientist roles pay £24,000/year more than Exeter. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — London workers keep £4,166/month versus £2,933/month in Exeter.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average London rent runs £2,150/month versus £1,000/month in Exeter. Once housing costs are factored in, London workers have £2,016/month disposable income versus £1,933/month in Exeter — that is £996/year in real spending power.
London's rent-to-income ratio of 52% compares favourably to Exeter's 34%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 100 for London and 70 for Exeter, a salary of £68,000 in London delivers equivalent purchasing power to £47,600 in Exeter.
Income retention after all essentials
% of net monthly pay remaining after rent, transport, council tax and groceries
Everyday costs
Estimated typical prices · scaled from Numbeo 2025
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